Timberdale Reapers
by StickieBun
Summary: Briella Spears-Knox isn't able to let a juicy old mystery lie, and when she hears that an old ghost story has truth behind it, she drags her twin brother Kai out in the dead of night to find the truth behind the story. Part of the "Blood Relations" Series This takes place between book 2 and book 3 This will contain a few spoilers for the first book which is still being posted


**Timberdale Reapers**

**Halloween One-shot**

**Part of the "Blood Relations" Series. This takes place between book 2 "Moonlit" and the final installation of book 3 (Not yet titled.) This ****_will_**** contain a few spoilers for the first, and maybe second books in the series, but Paw and I simply wanted to give these two a Halloween to remember. So if you don't mind spoilers, read on, otherwise, you may wish to wait. If you do not read "Blood Relations" You may still read this. It's not reliant on people knowing what happened in "Blood Relations". Also, please excuse any mistakes. It was really late when I edited this. I'm sure I missed things.**

* * *

It started out through word of mouth. A fairy tale, myth of sorts, pertaining to a disaster that occurred during the year of 1735. Still at his desk, Kai Spears chewed thoughtfully at the end of his pencil, yellow-green eyes glued to the teacher rambling on at the front of the room.

"-And it so happens, that in this little forested town, lay a Reaper Dispatch. The building, built on the same soft ground above the mines, was made of old cobblestone and timber. Unlike the offices in London, it did not have the exact same kind of luxuries nor the best conditions—repairs were constant. Yet, it was home to the small clan of Reapers that reigned there. They oversaw the deaths and reaping throughout the town, a hard job for such a small group, especially that with the sickness going around at the time. But they did it with dignity and pride; it should be noted that their inspirations carried far into generations to come. Until one day, during the month of October..."

Kai perked up slightly - he always loved a good mystery. Tapping his pink painted fingernails on the desk, he waited eagerly with anticipation.

"A terrible disaster took place. When the illness was at it's climax, it too began to affect the Reapers. The men fell ill, some worse than others - still they kept to their jobs. But the reports from their little office began dwindling, until barely a paper was being submitted to Management. It was concerning - a team was sent out to clarify the problem. What they found... was disturbing. The entire town massacred, torn to shreds like pigs to slaughter, yet not a trace of any predator or beast around. But the biggest horror of all, was the Dispatch itself. A once proud little building, was gone, ruins in its place - fire had burnt it almost to the ground. Yet... there were no signs of the Reapers that lived there. Nothing but the smell of illness, and bloodstains on the wall. No life—except for one man. He was, from what we could gather, still in the corner by a desk, shaking, barely alive. He looked as if he'd been through hell and back. They couldn't talk to him, for all he would mutter were the words 'Dead' and 'Monster'.

"They went for a medical team, when a sudden scream echoed. Coming back into the ruined building, they were horrified and stunned to find that the man now lay dead at their feet, his neck torn. Illness... it reeked from him. But... there is no explanation as to why and how this happened - no sign of danger, no presence lurking about - just an eerie feeling running through one's veins, so they say. Even to this day, we still do not know what happened—though, studies suggest a demon attack and others point to the idea of one member becoming so ill he went insane and…you know the rest. Still, it remains a mystery to us what happened to those men and the town..."

The chair next to Kai scraped the floor as the girl sitting in it stood up. Her sunny-blond hair pulled back in a tight bun. Golden curls pinned into place. "Sir!" Her voice rang out loudly in the classroom, "Are you implying the legend is actually fact? That the famous Timberdale Reapers are real?" Her two-toned eyes glittered behind her glasses with mischief. "This is a story parents tell their children when they misbehave. Why tell us this story now? Reborn and pureblood reapers alike all know this story already."

"Briella, sit down!" Kai hissed, his eyes wide in astonishment. Since when did his twin sister care about class?

The teacher however, looked bewildered. "I am not saying it is true, the entire story... but the Timberdale Reapers did exist at one point. They did disappear, and while it is true that only one was found, no one knows the truth behind what happened. But, as I also said, evidence now points towards a demon attack. Either way, no one has been around to investigate - Timberdale has been desolate and empty for over fifty years!"

"Quiet, Kai-Kai." Briella looked back up at the teacher, "If it was a demon there would be proof of that there. Why not do a proper investigation? The danger is past." She pointed out, "All that's there is ruins. It'd be so easy to find the truth.

"It's strange you mention that - I believe they have set teams out to investigate the matter, but each one comes back empty handed. Nothing to discover other than a strange 'eeriness' and 'whispers in the wind'." The teacher nodded. "Also, though the danger has past, the site is still dangerous - remnants of the illness lurk there, and the dispatch itself has fallen into disrepair - one false move could send the whole thing toppling to the ground."

"Sounds exciting. Maybe they just don't know what to look for—or they are too superstitious to look for long."

"Briella!"

"What, Kai?"

"Please tell me you are not thinking what I think you are thinking!"

Briella merely grinned at her brother, the smile cunning and anything but pleasant. "Kai-kins~" she cooed, slumping over onto his desk. "I have an idea, baby cakes!"

"…No…no, Bri! It's not a good idea—your ideas are never good ideas! Last time Dad grounded us for a month! Richard got our deserts all month, as well!" the boy pouted, being a big fan of sweets.

"Oh come on!" the girl huffed. "The only reason we got caught was because Grandpa happened to come home right when we broke through the roof! And yer jus' mad ya didnae get ta paint yer nails fer a month!"

"Briella-"

"Mister Spears, Miss Spears, is there a problem?"

"No sir!" Kai pipped.

"Then let me get back to my job teaching the class."

"Yes, sir…" Briella sighed and flopped into her seat. This wasn't over. She would make sure of it.

Arriving home hours later, Kai and Briella were pounced on by two very hyper children. "Kai, Bri-Bri! You're home!" Rachel cheered, cuddling into her cousin's chest, fair blond hair slipping over her shoulders.

"Mommy said we can make dinner tonight!" Richard, their little brother grinned, his dark brown hair messy, "You gotta help!"

Kai grinned, sitting up with Rachel in his lap. "Really? Smashing! Just let me put my stuff away-"

"ACTUALLY, guys... Kai and me have to have a wee talk. School stuff" Briella interrupted, yanking her brother up by the elbow, Rachel falling to the floor with a cry.

"But that doesn't make yummy food!"

"Briella!" Kai protested as he was dragged down the hall to the girl's room, "I'd rather cook than help you do something that'll end with us getting grounded!"

"Kai, c'mon! How many times in yer life are ya gonna get a chance like this? This could make us big! It's an adventure asking for exploration!" Briella huffed, pulling the boy into their bedroom.

"I don't want to have an adventure. I'd rather read mystery books…than solve one."

"Fine! Then I'll have to do it _all_ on my _own_…" Briella said in mock loneliness.

"Bri…it's not smart to go alone!"

"Well... Either you join me, Kai, or I'm doing this solo!"

Kai groaned, "Briiiiii….I hate you. How did I get you as my twin sister?"

"Ask Mom, when Dad was doin' 'im" the girl grinned. "We'll sneak out tonight, at 1, when everyone is asleep! Through the window.

"I don't want to think about Mum and Dad doing…_that_. But fine. But I'm going to help make dinner, first." He said, walking out to gather his little brother and aunt, "And if you make fun of me for cooking again, I'll go tell Dagger what you are planning!"

"So long as YOU dun mention a word of this to anyone!" Briella said after him.

"I don't want to get grounded again!" Kai protested.

-x-

After the usual hectic, loud family dinner, Kai flopped onto his bed, hugging one of his many stuffed animals to his chest, hoping his sister had given up on her idea—no such luck as she burst into his room, "Okay, Mom and dad are in their room. It's time to move!"

"Bri... Maybe we should rethink this.-"

"You promised, Kai! Come on~" She pulled him up and over to the window, opening it and looking out, "Okay, lets go."

Kai groaned, giving his favorite toy - a stuffed deer his father had given him as a child - a kiss on the head before setting it down. Resting his hand on the sill, he hoisted himself up, perching like cat, glowing green eyes staring outside.

"Good boy, little brother~" She hopped down to the ground, landing with grace before straitening up and waiting for Kai to join her. She then grabbed his hand and rushed off into the woods beyond their property.

It was an hour and half outside of London by car, and three-plus hours walking. Yet, being Reapers, and therefore much faster than a normal human, the twins had no trouble racing through the woods and portalling short distances (they were only beginners after all). Two hours later, the boy and girl stood still at the edge of the forbidden zone, blocked off by a tall wooden wall.

Kai spoke first. "Oh well, we tried" he said with faux disappointment, moving to head back in hopes that his sister would follow.

"Nahh!" his sister grabbed him and held him in place, "Don't make the trip a waste! We can solve the mystery and be as famous as Great-grandpa or Mama!"

"Mama hates the fame, though…" Kai pointed out.

"He just doesn't think what he did is worth the fame. He thinks he was doing it for papa."

"W-Well... What if it turns out like something bad, like what happened to Grandpa?"

"It wont." She said, walking along the wall until she found s board that had been knocked loose over the years, and she yanked it off, "Come on."

Kai groaned, reluctantly following her through the small opening. The two walked for a couple of minutes. Briella, mildly disappointed with the scenery, sighed, "It's just... trees!"

"That's because the village is further in, git..." Kai grumbled.

His sister snorted. "Please - I know it's supposed to be further in, but this - I expected more landmarks! You know, signs, roads?"

"Well, we did enter through a random hole... and there is no exact map on how big the zone was made..."

"Ugh, never mind... Just, take out the video camera now, will you?"

"Now? But we aren't even to the site, yet! We'll waste memory."

"Oh please, you know as well as I do that our SD card has enough memory to last a year or two, what with Mum playing around with Photoshop and whatnot" Briella waved him off. "We wanna collect every bit of this as we can - what if we see something, and we miss a chance? I dun wanna miss out on ANYTHING!" She put her hands on her hips, an expectant look on her face.

"Right, and here's the proof we are doing something Briella-stupid." Kai sighed, pulling out the camera and flipping on the night-mode.

"Is it on?" Briella asked, her image coming into focus.

"Yes."

"Sure?"

"It's recording" Kai deadpanned.

"Why didn't you- oh for, never mind! Let's go!" The girl turned on her heel, running shoes crunching leaves and dried twigs. "So, here we are... in the middle of ruddy nowhere. The woods... searching for answers to a mystery!"

"This isn't a reality show, Bri! And slow down! You know I can't run that fast! I'll twist my ankle again and you're little trip here will be ruined and I'll never hear the end of how I ruined your idea!"

"Oh, stop being such a baby!" his sister huffed, though slowing her pace slightly. They continued for at least twenty minutes, the full moon shining overhead.

"Grandpa will be out and about, maybe with Grandma…" Kai mused to himself before they caught sight of something. An old barn, its paint peeling and wood rotting.

"There! Lets go take a look! It's not the old dispatch, but it might have a clue to what way we should go." Briella grinned.

"I…don't like the looks of that place, though!"

"Oh come on, what's the worst that will happen? Nothing is here, Kai!" she rolled her eyes, voice full of irritation. "Dammit, stop being a coward for at least five minutes, will you? Reapers are brave! We are brave!" She approached the barn, poking her head inside. Old machinery, long since rusted and turning green, the smell of old hay and rotting debris lingering about; the girl wrinkled her nose. Then, she spotted something on the ground, by an old barrel.

"This isn't the same as being dispatch! This is…where are you going?"

"I found something!" she called out, reaching down to pick up the object.

"What?" Kai walked over to her and looked over her shoulder, holding the camera up to capture the image, "Shine your flashlight on it for me."

She did so, shining upon a silver key.

"…How did you even spot that?" Kai whispered, having a fondness for pretty old things like keys and music boxes.

"I dunno, I was jus' wavin' my flashlight around and it glinted..." She held it out; it was simple in design, thin and black, with a gear at the top.

"A mine shaft key?" Kai questioned, taking it into his hands.

"How would you figure out that?" Briella asked in surprise.

"Look at the design, and how big it is - old keys like this used to be used to open doors to mining shafts - and Timberdale was known for being a mining town - the whole village was built above the underground tunnels, remember?"

"Oh…I suppose you don't want to find the door that fits, hmmm, little brother?"

"Well, it would be interesti- Wait a minute, nice try! Do you know how dangerous that is, Bri?"

"Worth a try…" she shrugged and handed him the key, "Here, add it to your collection at home."

The boy nodded, slipping it into the pocket of his hoodie - thank goodness he had convinced Bri to wear tracks pants and hoods for tonight. Glancing around the barn, he paused at the sight of a map tacked to the wall - frowning, he walked over to it, pulling it off. It was damp and faded, but still legible.

"Good eye, Kai-bear!" Briella grinned, taking it from him and looking at it before laying it out. on the floor and leaning over it, "Looks like this is where we are," she pointed, "And this is where we are going."

Kai nodded, fingering the key in his pocket.

"Okay, I know where to go." She got up and folded the map, shoving it in her pocket.

"You sure?" Kai questioned, holding the camera up. "We aren't going to get lost like last time?"

"Oh please, Kai I didn't have a map then!" the girl grumbled, pushing past to walk out into the woods again.

"No, you had dad's GPS." Kai pointed out.

"Which suuuucks if you recall, because Dad never replaced the batteries!" She stepped over a tree root, pulling a branch back before letting it loose, almost whacking Kai in the face.

"H-hey! Stop trying to kill me with trees!"

"Learn ta dodge!" his sister yelled back with a laugh. They travel for a while, seeing only trees and plants.

"Yuck!" Kai suddenly gasped, loosing balance and grabbing a tree to hold himself up, his leg sinking knee-deep in mud.

Briella glanced back in concern for a moment before her face split into a wide grin, laughter booming from her chest. "AHAHAHAHAHA! NICE! ENJOYING THE MUD BATH, FAIRY!"

"Princess! Not fairy! And I was a kid back then when I used to say that!"

"You still do... I hear you in the shower!"

"Just because I sing Disney songs, doesn't mean I still want to be a princess when I am an adult! I want to be a singer." He said, trying to get out of the mud.

Briella merely laughed again. "Sure, whatever say, Kai-buuuugs~!"

"Just help me out of the mud, Bri…please?" he looked up at his sister with large, round green and gold eyes.

Briella rolled her eyes, but complied, yanking him out with ease. As she did so, she stopped, her eyes trained on something in the distance. "Kai...We found it..."

Kai groaned, hoping that they wouldn't find it and Briella would give up and let them go home. He couldn't convince her to go, but he couldn't leave her, either. She was his twin and he loved her…no matter how much of a pain she was at times.

"Come on!" The girl ran ahead, dragging her brother by the wrist, eager excitement upon her face.

"Slow down! I'm coming, okay?"

The two made their way to what was left of the old building. Cracked and crumbling grey walls standing high, covered in overgrowth.

Briella slowed, standing at it in a mixture of fascination and disbelief. "It exists... I can't believe this really exists! Kai!" she turned to her brother, eyes glimmering with a fierce fire. "Look at it! Isn't it amazing? I bet there are all kinds of secrets hidden inside!"

"It looks a mess, and dangerous. Floors falling out from under our feet…"

"Hidden passage ways, old artifacts... keeeys~" the blond drawled, hoping to lure her brother in.

"Are you trying to bribe me to risk my life to further my collection of old keys?"

Lily sensed a edge to the brunet's voice. She glanced up at Alan. Had she said something? Something to irk him? Feeling a bit like nuisance she looked down again. "I am being a bother. I didn't mean to. I will get out of your hair. I am sure you need to be getting to work." Carefully, she pushed her chair back and grabbed the cane.

"Thank you Mister Humphries for all... ahh... all you have done for me." Lily pushed herself up onto her feet. She bit her lip again, trying not to complain anymore about how much pain she was in. She bowed her head to the brunet.

"You can finish your breakfast—you haven't even touched it. And I don't work until later…"

"I think I have over stayed my welcome. I appreciate breakfast..." She looked up meeting Alan's gaze.

"I…would you like me to help you to your own flat?" he asked.

"Nooo...I'm just being optimistic and encouraging!"

Kai sighed, "How long will we be here 'investigating'?"

"Until we find something!" Briella declared, marching up toward the building.

Frowning, Kai followed her, hurrying to stick close to her side, and grabbing her hand.

They approached the front gates, hidden from the view of mortal eyes. The iron posts standing rusted and creaking on either side, the doors locked tight with chains.

The boy inched closer to his sister, "It's locked."

"So? We'll find a way in! Let's see - AH! Here, we'll climb up the wall!" The girl brushed past, moving to scan the surrounding wall for any openings.

Kai bit his lip, camera filming his sister from afar. "Briella, I think we've come far enough-"

"Oh don't be a baby, Kai! Here!" she found where a tree had fallen, knocking over the wall. She climbed up, "Come on! It'll be fun."

"Oh no..." her brother groaned, going against his better judgment and climbing up after his sister. "Fine, but if we get caught, I get all your desert for a month!"

"Sure, sure." She jumped down and skipped a few steps ahead into the fenced in yard, "Oh~ this place just gets better and better~"

"I like to think the opposite..." Kai muttered, as they approached the building. Pushing open the worn old doors, they wandered inside.

"Come on, this is fun, Kai… And whatever happens, it can't be worse than when you tried to pet a porcupine and got quills stuck in your cheek when we were seven."

"That was awful! Took Mama forever to get it out!" the boy complained. Inside was a mess - ruined walls and floors, covered with a thin layer of slime, moss and burns. Overturned desks and rubble lay about, goo splattered in puddles.

"This is so creepy…"

"I know, isn't it great?" Briella giggled, "Looks like a battle happened… look at those scratches!" she said, running over to a wall with scythe damage.

Kai swallow, his eyes darting back and forth over every scratch and slice embedded into the old stone. Then something caught his eye - something written on the wall.

Briella walked over to an overturned desk and forced open a stuck drawer, looking to see if anything was left in it—other than dust.

Kai crept over to the wall, shining a light over the writing; it was reddish black, smudged, a stale smell lingering. The boy wrinkled his nose, reading over the words. 'Run... Get to safety... It's here, it killed me... Run, go to the basement. To the safe house - key is-' It cut off, showing an arrow pointing to a desk with the name 'Logan' over it.

Frowning, the boy walked over to the desk and gingerly juggled open a drawer, shifting through the old crumbling papers until he found the old skeleton key, cast in gold. He picked it up, turning it over in his hand.

"Pens... Inks... Tampons- wait, what?" Briella made a face. "I'm pretty sure this was a man's desk, too... Look, it says 'Simon' on the sid- what is that?"

"Key. You said I can keep the keys we find." He said, not wanting to 'go to the basement'.

"Key?" The girl rushed over, swiping the object from Kai's hands; her eyes widened, excitement apparent on her face. "This is- you found a skeleton key! You know what this means?"

"It means I get a key to my collection!" he said, snatching it back.

"Annnnnnd" the girl plucked it from his fingers once again, leaning in until her face was inches from his own. "Exploration, brother dear~" It was then she noticed a note on the desk.

"Only if I hold it! Last time I let you carry a key, you lost it." He yanked it back.

"Alright, fine! Just don't pussy out on me, okay?" she huffed, moving to grab the note.

"No jumping out to scare me, either."

"Awwwww, fineeee..." the girl grumbled, skimming over the note.

Kai opened more draws, finding nothing in most of them—but in one he found a trainee scythe tucked away. He picked it up, "Here. we should take this back so a demon or angel can't get it."

Briella blinked, glancing over at her brother for a moment. She nodded, taking the scythe and tucking it away in the drawstrings of her pants, passing her brother the note in the process.

"What's this?" he asked, looking down at it to read.

_'Logan, _

_The map is on the left hand corner of the desk in the safe house, lowest level of the basement (yes, Nathon moved locations again since yesterday), now the back storage room, in case you are wondering why its gone from your desk. Mark the new safe locations on as soon as you can._

_ -Bruno'_

"…I…don't know if going to a basement is a good idea…"

"Oh come on, Kai! It's just a safe house - and would you rather be walking around in the dark without any directions or would you rather have a map?"

"Bri-"

"We need the map."

"But... Fine." Kai swallowed against his jittering nerves, following his sister as she began to navigate her way around the destroyed office. Amongst the wreckage, Kai caught three other names on the ruined desks; Allan, James, and Kevin. "Hang on..." He stopped for a moment, setting the video camera down.

"What is it, Kai-bug?" she stopped and shown her flashlight on him.

"You still have that note we just read, right?" the boy asked, fishing in his bag for a notebook and pen.

"Yeah…why?"

"Lemme see it for a sec..." He took it from his sister, her eyes bearing confusion, as he clicked the pen and wrote down the two names listed in the letter plus the other three on the desks.

"What are ya doing?" she asked, leaning over his shoulder in the way she did whenever she wanted to bother him.

"Writing down names" Kai said in an unbothered tone, ignoring his sister's attempts at being a pest. "If you wanna solve a mystery, you have to list all the possible clues and pieces of evidence."

"But those are just—names."

"I know."

She sighed, "We want to know what happened here—if it was a demon attack or not, not the names of the victims. I'm sure those are on record already."

"Not really - you heard Mr. Helderson. The records of the Timberlake Reapers were kept in a separate library here in this Dispatch - which was burned down in the fire. There hasn't been enough information to file complete records - none exist."

"They are an extension of British Dispatch. They would have had records of what reapers were stationed here."

"Possibly - but having names helps, since it's so hard to find any information about them nowadays."

Fine, come on, I think I saw a door over there." She said, hurrying over to the other side of the room and yanking at the door—locked.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Need this?" he raised an eyebrow, holding up the key. "Here-" He gently nudged his sister to the side, shoving the key into the lock - it opened with a click. Pulling it out, he smirked, opening the door with ease, though his smile fell at the sight of stairs. "Dammit..."

"Good thinking! How'd you know the key was the right one?" his sister asked, starting down the steps. Each one creaking under her weight.

"It's a skeleton key, Bri. It opens any door to this building - Bri! Don't go down there, its dangerous!" Regardless, Kai follow, his heart thumping with every step he took, the old wood creaking underneath him.

"This is what we came to do. Just step lightly."

Kai opened his mouth to argue, but closed it, nodding meekly, readjusting his weight with every step. The floor of the basement was no better, fire having burned away much of the foundation, leaving the old wooden floors weak and brittle. "Okay, Bri... This is where we draw the line-"

"Nonsense! We are solving this thing!" she said, shinning her light around the ruins.

Kai cursed, nimbly dodging a couple of cracks in the floor to reach his sister. "Bri, it's not safe-"

"Oh for fuck sakes, can you please shut up, Kai? Scythe, you sound like Grandma whenever we go swimming!" She scowled, nearly bumping into a firm steel door.

"I am not—but this is dangerous! We could fall—IE!" he gasped as part of the flooring gave way under his toe, and he almost fell through. The old rotted floor falling far into the mines under the building. "—See!"

Briella eyed the hole for a moment, then here brother. "Just... be more careful! Look, we've already reached the safe house, we just grab the map and go back up! No big deal!"

"If it even has a floor anymore…" he muttered, hugging the wall, the camera upside-down.

"Oh relax. It's not like the floor's suddenly going to give way under your feet!" The girl waited until her brother passed her the old skeleton key before letting herself into the room.

The walls were made of concrete instead of cobblestone, a safety mechanism by any means. Boxes and crates sat against the walls, water dripping into a puddle through a crack in the roof. Kai separated himself from his sister, notebook ready to jot down anymore clues. He paused as his light passed over something upon the far wall, and as he approach cautiously, he realized it was a picture frame with names written under it. 'TIMBERDALE REAPER DISPATCH - Photo taken 1950'

Briella walked around the other way around the room, shinning her light, "I expected to find skeletons…"

Kai continued to examine the picture, the photo faded and yellow, but still visible, preserved behind glass.

'Simon Bellerose' A slightly short man with long light blond hair, circular glasses and a curvy figure, music sheets clutched under his arm.

'Iain McMurdo' A tall man beside Simon - he had to be maybe even taller than grandpa! - also sporting a ponytail (though his was a bit shorter than the first Reaper's), hair and slight beard a flaming red. His sharp eyes hid behind square glasses, thicker eyebrows narrowed slightly, giving him a rather irritated look. Like all the reapers in the photograph, he sported a suit jacket, but what caught Kai's eye was the rest of his uniform - a thick Tartan kilt in the place of pants, matching a similar colored sash overhanging the man's shoulder.

Kai's sister followed the wall around until she found a rotted wooden door. Curious, she reached out and grabbed the handle.

A bunch of item came falling out, a cardboard box soon to follow. Kai barely noticed, eyebrows furrowing as he reached out, taking the picture frame off the wall to remove the photo - another picture fell out. "Bri..."

"What?" she asked, stooping down to go through the fallen items. Old boxes of what used to be food, mostly.

"Look..." He held up the photo, pointing to each of the Reapers.

'Allan Landshire' A man with short dirty blond hair, slicked back, freckles upon his face, reaching up to eyes behind small glasses.

'Bruno Rayford' A bulky man with wavy black hair and side burns, older looking but with an air that reminded them of their father.

'James Hones' A spiky brown haired young man, a cocky grin on his face as he slung his shoulders around two other men, his shades matching those of the Reaper on his left.

'Kevin Howardson' The Reaper, smaller and looking serious, had his dark brown hair brushed to the side, a notebook tucked under his arms reading '_Timber_'.

'Logan Louis' A foxish Reaper with shoulder length black curls, a thin face and a mischievous smile.

"What about them? They are probably the officers working here. Bigger group that I would suspect…" Briella shrugged, "But taking this would be better than writing down the names."

"I know, but... look." He gestured toward the left side of the photo, where the Scottish Reaper stood; almost hiding behind him were two young children.

Bri narrowed her eyes and brought it closer to her face; "…Is that…great-grandpa in a dress?"

"It does look like him, doesn't it?" Kai commented. "Look, he's holding hands with that little boy - Gramps did mention that he had a fiancé when he was younger... think that's him?"

"Maybe… the grown-ups don't talk about parts of their pasts…"

"Wish we knew his name...It'd be a lot easier figuring out who he is... But, wait..." Kai frowned for a moment. "No... that can't be right..."

"What?" Bri looked at her twin.

"This photo... it was taken in the 1730's...Great Grandpa would have been about twenty-two or twenty-three..."

"So it's not him…"

"No... these children are really young, no older than 5 or 6...And I think the one in a dress is a girl, though the boy is wearing a gown too... She looks so much like Great Grandpa though..."

"Lets keep this and ask Great-Grandpa when we next see him and Auntie Grell." She said, taking the picture, folding it, and slipping it into her pocket, "Maybe he had a sister?"

"Maybe..." Kai picked up the other picture, peering at it; it was the Scotsman, Iain, again, sleeping on a bed with two infants cuddling on his chest.

Briella looked at it; "…Daddy has a picture like that in his office, of you and I sleeping on Mama's chest when we were babies…"

"You were drooling on me..." Still, something about the picture made him smile, seeing the man's peaceful expression and the babies curled up under the blanket like kittens - then he noticed writing on the back.

"You were drooling too—we had no teeth!" she twirled around and walked back over to resume searching the room, "But Richard was the drool-king when he was a baby." She giggled.

"Ugh, don't remind me... He ruined three skirts of mine in three hours once! AND remember when he drooled all over Pinstripe?"

"He drooled on everything. It was just funniest when it was on your stuff—like Pinstripe." She laughed, "I can't believe Dad let you keep that skunk!"

"I'm not complaining - he's just like a dog" Kai smiled, thinking fondly of his pet. "So glad he chose me over you - poor baby of mine would be named 'Stinky' for all eternity."

"He was stinky until Grandma took him to the vet so he couldn't spray us anymore. Besides, you like animals more, and—did you hear that?" she stopped, hearing a clanking noise echoing through the area.

Kai went silent, as loud moan echoed from below; the boy's face paled, just shy of seconds to wetting himself.

"People are here! That sounded like a voice! Maybe not everyone died!" Bri smiled.

"I think I just wet myself..." Kai squeaked, jumping at the sound of a loud roar. "S-SHIT!"

"Don't be a baby. You aren't that much younger than me…They do sound angry, though…"

"Then why are we still here?"

"Because they are probably just lonely. It's been sooo long! And they can tell us what happened here! We can take them back with us."

Kai merely whined, seeing no winning side to this argument. Pocketing the pictures, he moved to follow his sister out of the room, wincing as something growled below the floor - far deep down into the mines.

"Hello?" Bri called out, her voice echoing through the corridors.

No one answered her; Kai fidgeted.

"Helloooo?" she called again, "We hear you! Are you a member of the old dispatch here?"

Kai moved past his sister, his heart thudding in his chest. He swallowed, temporarily forgetting the weakness of the rotten floor beneath his feet.

"Anyone?"

"I don't think they want to—" Kai screamed as the rotted floor gave way and he fell through, reaching up to his sister. She moved quick to catch him, but their fingers slipped by each other.

"KAI!"

"BRIELLLAAAAAAAAA!" Kai screamed, as he plunged down into complete and utter darkness.

"Kai! Kai, No! Oh Scythe!" She panicked.

-x-

Ronald Knox groaned, rolling over in bed and snuggling up next to his husband, his cheek resting on William's shoulder and his breath feathering across the skin of his neck. Lost in his dreams—until the shrill sound of a cell phone ring rang out—not his, but he groaned, pushing himself up and grabbing William's phone, answering it before William woke up.

"This had better be important. William was working late on Overtime, can't you let a guy sleep?" he scolded in a hushed voice, thinking it would be the office's Night shift supervisor. It usually was, after all.

"...Mom?" Briella's voice asked, sounding unusually upset and distraught.

"Bri?" Ronald sat up, alert, "What—you didn't sneak out again did you? What is it this time? Where are you?"

William shifted, moaning softly before opening his eyes, blinking tiredly at his husband. "Ron?"

"Bri—where are you? Why do you sound panicked—you didn't take the car again, did you? You have got to stop doing this."

Frowning, William sat up. "Honey, what is going on?"

"It's Bri…she sounds scared…I think she snuck out—again." Ron said, looking with wide eyes at William.

William's frown deepened, as he reached for the phone, putting it on speaker. "Briella?"

"I'm in Timberdale..."

"…What?" Ron asked, his voice raising as William had turned the speaker on. "Briella Anne! What in Styx are you doing there? It's condemned for a reason! Get out of there right now! I'm coming to get you—right now." He got up and grabbed a pair of pants, pulling them on.

"Mommy..." Briella spoke up again, her voice wavering. "K-Kai... H-He..." She choked, breaking off.

Ronald paled further, "…Kai's with you?"

"He was... W-We were explorin' the basement, but the floor... Kai f-fell though!" the girl whimpered, knowing fully what was coming.

"WHAT?" Ronald's stomach twisted in worry. "Is he okay? Is he breathing—is he awake? You found him, right? Oh Rhea! William—Our baby!"

"I-I tried... I couldn't grab him in time!" the girl sobbed slightly. "H-He fell into the mines." William grabbed the phone. "Briella, what have we told you about running off like this?! Stay where you are, we are coming!"

-x-

Kai groaned, his head throbbing and back aching as he rolled over onto his back, tears springing to his eyes as pain shot up his leg. A cry ripped from his lips before he took a few deep breaths, "Br-Bri?"

No one answered, the boy's surrounding pitch black aside from the light of his flashlight. The air was freezing, wet and filled with mold - clearly not a soul had been down here in years.

"BRI!" He cried out louder, starting to panic. "S-SISSY! D-Don't leave me alone…"

There was complete and utter silence all around him.

Whimpering, the boy tried pushing himself up, his leg snapping when he put weight on it, and he screamed out in pain and he fell back to the dirt and rubble-covered ground."

Something rustled in the distance.

"B-Briella? I-I broke my leg…I just want to go home…please…"

The shuffling stopped for a moment, something growling in the distance like an animal, a moan echoing slightly.

"Br-Bri..? Don't scare me…I'm really hurt…please…just take me home."

Again, there was no answer, only the sound of something approaching. A rather foul smell lingered about, the stench of something rotting.

The boy coughed, covering his nose and mouth with the crook of his elbow.

The moaning and shuffling got louder, a sudden chill running down Kai's back.

Whimpering, the boy dragged himself back against the dirt wall, hugging himself. Alone—he was left alone.

The stench worsened, the moaning becoming louder as the sound of footsteps arose, dragging heavily across the ground.

Looking around, Kai grabbed a rusted metal rod—just in case.

A shadow fell over the light of his flashlight, a figure of a man lumbering from out of the shadows.

Kai bit his lip, trying to stay quiet, a bad feeling of dread falling over him.

The figure came into full sight, a mere image of horror itself. Once a man, now an almost skeletal figure, white waxen skin clinging to bone, even rotted away in some places; hair messy and limp, coated with layers of filth. Suit torn and ripped in several places, covered in mold and fungus. Yet the face was the most horrifying - hollowed cheeks, eyes and mouth, the lips all but black and decayed, eyes nothing but white orbs glaring out into the darkness, behind a pair of broken circular glasses.

The sight of the man made Kai want to scream, but he didn't move—hoping the man was blind, and if he didn't make any sounds—he should be okay, right?

The man stopped right in front of the boy, eyes gazing hauntingly at him, strange rattled noises floating from it's mouth. Then, it snarled, scythe summoned in its hand.

Kai screamed and lashed out, hitting the man's leg as hard as he could with his bar.

The creature hissed, stumbling slightly, but appearing to feel no paint. It moaned, hobbling faster towards the boy, a look of a predator upon its face. Knocking the rod aside, it loomed over the boy, growling.

The creature hissed, stumbling slightly, but appearing to feel no pain. It moaned, hobbling faster towards the boy, a look of a predator upon its face. Knocking the rod aside, it loomed over the boy, growling.

"NO! BRIELLA!" He cried out, moving as quickly as he could with his broken leg along the wall, "BRIELLA! HELP!"

The undead Reaper followed after him, snarling like a rabid animal.

Reaching a corner, much to Kai's horror, his hand found a but of rubble and he threw it at the rotting man descending upon him. The man roared, the metal having smashed him on the side of face, knocking him astray for a moment. Shrieking, his scythe vanished, as he went down on all fours, charging after the boy - like an animal - at a much faster pace.

Gasping, Kai threw more objects at the man. Wood, metal, dirt, rocks…the chocolate bar from his pocket…

The man resisted everything thrown at him, until the candy was tossed. Smelling the air, he seemed to perk up momentarily, head turning as the chocolate flew past, landing further down the past. With an almost happy noise, the undead Reaper turned away from the boy, bounding down the path towards the food - something it hadn't seen in over 300 hundred years, Kai realized.

The boy, as quietly as he could, moved from the wall, dragging himself away from the… well, Zombie, for lack of a better word.

The footsteps stopped for a moment, the sound of a wrapper crinkling followed by jaws and teeth chomping away at something.

-x-

Briella hugged her knees to her chest. It was all her fault. She had come up with the idea, she had dragged Kai along, she ignored his warnings…and she had let him fall. And—if he was dead…Oh sweet mother Rhea! She killed her twin brother! Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

The air has suddenly gotten colder, the building more rickety and unsteady, shadows bigger and more frightening. It was as if everything had gotten worse the moment her brother had left her. A clang sounded from the upper levels of the building, a low groan and two smaller high pitched ones.

"…Mommy? Daddy?" She hoped so…but she began to doubt it. Grabbing the scythe they had found, she stood up.

Shuffling sounded, a horrible stench once again polluting the air.

"Uhg," the teenaged girl gagged, "Rhea, that smells worse than Pinstripe used to…"

Something growled from above her.

"….Definitely not Mum…" she said, readying herself for a fight against—it?

There was a clatter, before something dropped down into the main office, emitting a loud screech of surprise.

Briella jumped, but narrowed her eyes, "What are you?" she hissed.

The creature ignored her at first, looking up and making odd moaning and groaning noise. From where the teen was standing, it looked like the figure of a child.

She slowly moved around towards the door, keeping her eyes on the child…a girl? Dirty shock-white hair, hanging down around her body like curtains, tangled and matted. Flesh black and rotting, eyes hollow, one a foggy white, the other missing completely. She was frightening. A ten—or used to be ten-year-old…Maybe the girl from the picture Kai had found?

"Hey…" she kept her shaky voice as calm as she could, "Are you okay? Is it the illness that did this to you? Are you able to understand me?"

The girl paused, lifting her head towards Briella. She seemed to stare at her for a moment, then suddenly vanished.

"H-hey! Wait! I didn't mean to scare you…spooky…little…old girl…"

There was a hiss behind her, the girl appearing just by her shoulder, hovering, the remains of what once were wings upon her back. She lunged, sinking her teeth into Briella's shoulder.

"AHH!" Screaming in pain, the older twin slammed the attacking girl into the wall and pulled her over her shoulder, slamming her into the floor, following up with pressing the scythe to the girl's neck, "You look old enough to know no biting!"

The girl shrieked, lifting her head to wail out loud.

"What are you?"

She merely continued screeching, a yellow foam beginning to ooze from her mouth.

It gave off the most awful smell.

"Uhg!" Briella began to gag.

Finding and opening, the girl attacked, managing to throw Briella off, claw at her and then flee, but not before the scythe sliced through the skin of her neck, setting free a few records, playing before Briella's eyes.

-x-

_A sunny day, the tall timber pines swaying gently in the wind. The dispatch, instead of the ruins the girl had discovered, stood tall and proud, not a mark upon it's old cobblestone surface. Sitting just outside, playing with a small puppy on the rock, was the little girl, a smile upon her innocent face. Someone called out to her. "Angelllaaaa!" The pony tailed blond from the photo, of whom Briella identified as Simon, came running out of the dispatch, unaware of the fact that his pants were falling down nor that he had a small trail of toilet paper behind, the end attached to the bottom of his shoe_

_The little girl blinked, her head tilting to the side curiously. "What is it, Uncle Simon…you might want to fix your pants…"_

_The man merely beamed, running up to the rock. "There you are! We've been looking for you for ages!"_

_"I told you I was coming out here to play with Pawla" she smiled, petting the dog. "Did you forget again?"_

_"No...I just have distraction proble- OH! A pinecone!" The blond stared at the ground, reaching down to pick up the overgrown seed._

_"Stupid Uncle Simon, focus!" she said, walking over to him and slapping her hands on the man's cheeks._

_"Ow-ow!" the man yelped, rubbing his cheeks, faux pouting. "Angeellll... Is that any way to treat your favorite uncle?" Regardless, he shook his head. "Umm... What was I out here for again...? Oh, right!" he cleared his throat. "Angel, do you what day it is today?"_

_"The day we make cookies?" she asked, hope in her voice._

_Simon put his hands on his hips. "Angela Krause, don't tell me you've forgotten your own special day!"_

_"Cookie day is special!" insisted the little girl._

_"That it is! But what else is your special day?"_

_She pulled away and shook her head, "Just cookie-day."_

_Simon tutted, wagging his finger at her. "Silly Angel!" he teased. "It's your birthday!"_

_"…I know…" she dropped down and sat on the ground, "…Uncle Simon…did you know my Mommy and Daddy?"_

_Simon glanced down at her for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "No, I did not... We found you in the woods, remember? A little baby... whoever left your hurt and alone is downright cruel..."_

_"But…I want to know where I came from…I want to know I have wings like an angel but I'm not one!"_

_"I know... Come here, Angie..." He scooped her up into his arms. "We want to know too...We'll find out someday, I'm sure!"_

_She hugged him tight, "I still want a mommy and a daddy…"_

_"You have a Daddy though, right? Iain's 'Daddy'."_

_"Yeah…but my real daddy…I dream about my mommy and daddy sometimes…what things might be like…if I have a little sister or brother—or big ones…"_

_Simon frowned again, the gesture full of sorrow for the little girl. "Yeah... I know how you feel, Angie..." He glanced up at the sky for a moment, at the tips of the tall timber trees, surrounding them in all directions for miles. _

_It was like a maze, the forest surrounding the town - any outsider could easily get lost trying to navigate their way through. But someone born, raised and living in the town, even Reapers, it was home. Simon, like the rest of his Dispatch, had barely been outside of the forest - it was such a hazard for most other Reapers to venture through that the Main Branch in London had made them a separate institute - any Reaper that lived in Timberdale during their humans lives stay there after being reborn, instead of going on over to the capital. They trained in Timberdale, lived in Timberdale, and barely left, for they had little reason to. That, and Main Branch was keen on putting a leash on them. But regardless, they were all like a giant family; Bruno (their boss), Allan, Kevin, James, Logan, Simon himself and Iain - and now Calium and Angela, two children (and Pawla if you counted the dog). All born in Timberdale, aside from Iain - the Scotsman had transferred over after being rescued from a demon attack in the forest by their boss, Bruce; he was the only one of them to have once lived outside of the tiny mining town. _

_He'd found himself indebted to Bruno, and vouched to pay him back by assisting his Dispatch for a couple of months - he ended up staying, and transferring over. A hundred years later, Iain finds two babies abandoned in the woods - nothing new (it was a common trend, sadly), except that both had been reborn. That, and Iain had taken pity on the crying infants - he denied it (and more than once punched Simon in the face for bringing it up), but he had some soft spots. Some. Still, though they lived together as a family (come on, they ate at a dinner table, did stuff together, even had the children calling them 'Uncle' or 'Big Brother'), it didn't stop the questions from arising, like now. _

_Not that he could blame Angela for being wistful and curious - everyone had a past at some point. Simon had once been an apprentice in forestry, but an accident (caused by his own obvious nature and a falling tree), put an end to his human life rather fast at the age of 22. Had he lived, he would have taken over his father's business as a craftsman, but his real passion lied in music. Though he may lack in intelligence and common sense (more than once he'd gotten in trouble for accidentally flooding the upstairs toilets), he made up for in his talents on the piano, organ and singing. Coming from his mother's side (his French mother was a lovely singer, and managed to woo his Scottish father with her voice), he had the potential to go on stage - if it wasn't for his general lack of understanding and fear of bright lights. But more than once, he had found time to sit down in the small room in the back of the Dispatch, at the old pipe organ he had 'rescued' (stolen) from the town dump, and play his heart out._

_"Do you think…maybe they are looking for me?" Angela asked._

_"I don't know... We've tried contacting the Main Branch's Child Services, but they kept saying no one had a child... Though, Bruno thinks you may be part angel and your mother was a human, and you were reborn after being left in the cold for so long - that stuff does happen sometimes."_

_She shook her head, "That doesn't feel right…I think…sometimes I see a man's face in my sleep…he has reaper eyes…I think…he was daddy…"_

_"Maybe... But...Angela... What will you do if you find your real Mommy and Daddy?"_

_"…I'd ask them why they couldn't love me… I'm a good girl! I don't do bad things! …I'm not mean…"_

_"But... Would you leave me?" Simon pouted._

_"They don't want me…" she hugged him tighter, "You want me here."_

_Simon smiled, hugging her tightly. "Now... Since it's your birthday, what do you say to making cookies AND cake?"_

_"Can we shape the cookies like bats and skulls again?" she asked, more excitedly._

_"You betcha!" Simon grinned, turning to walk back to the Dispatch. "Know what else is exciting?"_

_"What?" she asked curiously, hanging off his back like a little monkey._

_"Daddy's home" Simon grinned._

_"When! Where! He's not working?"_

_"Nope, got off early... and, I here he has a present for you~!"_

_She wiggled excitedly, "Lets go see him!"_

_"Yup yup~!" Simon carried her inside, wincing as a loud voice yelled out from the upper floors of their living quarters. _

_"SIMON! DID YOU BREAK THE TOILET AGAIN?" _

_"Oops..." the man chuckled nervously, finally seeing the trail of toilet paper leading around the house. "Daddy should be sleeping in his room - how about you go and see him, and I'll catch up after Bruno finishes putting me on timeout again..."_

_She nodded and hopped down from his back, running up the steps and into her adoptive father's room, flopping over onto the bed he was resting._

_The tall redhead grunted, rolling over to face the little girl, an eye cracking open as she tugged on his pointed ears. "Afternoon, baby angel" he rumbled softly, voice rough and husky._

_"You got home early!" She grinned._

_He chuckled, pulling the little girl into a hug. "Tha' I did, pup... Have ye been good fer Uncle Bruno?"_

_"I'm a good girl! I was out playing with Pawla!"_

_"Good wee lass!" Iain chuckled again, a loud yawn ripping from his throat. "Pardon, my pup, but Daddy is tired... Daddy had to go reaping in the thunderstorm this morn'..."_

_"Aweeee…." She pouted, "But I didn't get to see you! I was asleeping!"_

_"I know, lovely, I know..." Iain groaned, popping his back. "Ah, I'm gettin' old..."_

_"No you're not! You're getting lazy after work." She pouted, "And it's my birfday…"_

_"Tha' it is! An' I have somethin' special fer m' little Angel..." He sat up, moving to grab something sitting on the window sill beside his bed - a dead flower bud. "Remember how ya love it when Daddy does magic?"_

_She nodded, wiggling in her place next to him, an excited smile on her face._

_Iain smiled, holding out the bud in his hands; closing his eyes, he began to concentrate. Thinking back to the past, of his days as but merely an elf, a guardian of the woodlands. Slowly, the bud began to glow, first blue then green, life slowly ebbing back into it. Then, as the plant began to bloom before their very eyes, the color seemed to drip away, leaving the beautiful flower transparent - like a diamond, glittering with a rainbow shine in the sunlight._

_Angela giggled with glee, reaching out to touch it when it had finished, "Pretty!"_

_"'S all yers, baby. But - it's not a toy. See-" He held up to the sun, a design shining through onto the floor below, a magical pentagram. "'S a spell flower - if yer ever in trouble, it'll guide ya ta safety. If ya need me, use it ta call me. If yer lost, let it be yer compass ta home. If yer in a fight, it'll lead ya right."_

_"What if there is no light, though?" she asked, holding it up._

_"Ah, then 'ere..." He held the flower in the palm of his hand again, staring at it until a tiny magical fire lit up inside of it's center. "Tha' should do it - dun worry, 's not gonna burn ya 'r it. Jus' a wee bit o' magic."_

_She smiled and hugged him tight, bowling him over onto his bed, "Yer the best daddy!"_

_The memory faded away to white, the reels blank for a moment before displaying another memory, this time showing the forest. Iain, Angelina and the little boy from the picture standing before a large tree. The children looked nervous while Iain appeared irritated. _

_"I dunno Uncle Simon, tha' wooks weally high an' dangerous!" the little boy called out, clutching Iain's left hand. _

_"Nonsense, it's perfectly safe! I'm just gonna show Angela how to fly!" Simon called out, a big grin on his face as he climbed up the branches of the tree, high above the group. _

_"What's going on?" a voice called out, the spiky haired brunet Reaper from the photo known as 'James' approaching, Logan and Kevin in tow. _

_Kevin took one look at Simon and scowled. "Idiot! He's going to get himself killed!" _

_Logan followed his gave and his eyes widened. "Oh, Scythe..."_

_"You can't fly! You're gonna fall!" Angela called out._

_"No way! I can totally fly and I will! Just you watch, Angie, and you'll learn to fly in no time! I'm a genius!" Simon declared, reaching the top, throwing a rope down to Iain. _

_"Yer an eejit!" the man yelled up at him, tying the rope around a rock before pushing it back with a grunt, the tree bending towards the ground. _

_"Simon, this is stupid!" Logan yelled out. _

_"What is goin' on out here?" Bruno lumbered forward, Allan chasing after him. _

_"Sir, please! Your leg isn't healed, you'll strai-is that Simon?!" _

_"Yuuuup," James remarked with a grin, staring up at his coworker. "Oh man this is going to be hilarious!"_

_"Stupid Uncle Simon has a stupid…" the little girl groaned, "I'm only six and I know that this is s stupid idea!"_

_"Loweeeerrrrr...Perfect!" Simon positioned himself. _

_"Simon, if ya die, I'm giving you overtime!" Bruno yelled out, taking a sit on a rock with Allan's help. "We're already up to our eyeballs with work thanks ta tha' witch..."_

_"I don't even want to fly! You'll get hurt!" Angela cried._

_Simon however, had already cut the rope, the tree shooting forward, sending him soaring high off into the distance. "I'M FLYYIIINNNGGGG!" There was a deafening crash a couple of seconds later._

_Angela let off a cry and turned to hide her face in the little boy's shoulder, letting him hug her._

_Iain took a couple of steps forward, a concerned look on his face. "I'm okaaay!" Simon yelled out. A tree crashed. "Nevermiinndd... Ow..."_

_The two kids ran through the trees towards his voice, worried. But they slid to a stop, spotting a reaper they did not know, walking down the path towards them. Light brown hair slicked back, a blue tie, and a serious look on his face._

_Iain came running up behind them, pausing at the sight of the other Reaper. He frowned, pulling the children close to him. "Hello there... Can we help ya, sir?"_

_"I was sent over from British headquarters." He said, adjusting his glasses and closing his eyes, "About a child we were written about…"_

_Iain's frown deepened, even as Simon came stumbling towards them, bruised and battered. "Ho, man! Did you see that?! I could hav- who are you?" he tilted his head towards the man, blinking owlishly. "Are you another Scythe's salesman? Because Bruno hates those - do I slam the door in your face?"_

_"Amusing." The man sighed and looked down at the children, "Your reports said you had a child with angel wings?" he paused, getting no answer, "Well?"_

_"Wha' is yer business, really?" Iain growled, narrowing his eyes. "I know trouble when I see it, an' you Londoners 'ave never been on the 'nice' list!"_

_"We think the child is the lost pureblood daughter of a German family." He said simply._

_Simon's jaw dropped. "B-But Germany is so far away... NO! NO!" He stood in front of the man. "You're not taking our baby away!" Iain face palmed._

_"We simply need to fill in records. If the girl is who we suspect, we need to know where she is. She won't be returned to Germany. He glanced down at Angela and lowered his voice, speaking to the adults as if she couldn't hear. "If she is, then she has no real home to return to. Her mother had lost his mind to grief of loosing his child and was committed to the realm asylum. Her father seems to have lost all interest in having a family once his husband went mad._

_"I still dun trust wha' yer sayin'... but I will say we 'ave no idea who the child's parents are. We suspect a lone angel and a human woman are 'er parents... and she died from exposure ta cold, only ta be reborn. Either way, she's my daughter. Nothin'll change tha'."_

_"Her mother was attacked and was started to be purified when he was carrying her in him. she was born with Angel wings."_

_"Ya dun know tha'... Ya dun know anythin' 'bout m' little girl!"_

_"I'm talking about the girl we think she is. We simply mean to confirm this. I assure you that we will not take her to Germany." He pulled out a paper and held it out, "My orders."_

_Iain took the papers, reading them over with a frown._

_"See? No orders to take the girl back with me. I am simply to do a test to find her bloodline. If she is the German girl, then We'll have paperwork to fill out."_

_Iain glanced up at him, eyes narrowed. "What kind of paperwork?"_

_"The kind that will place her here officially. All reapers need to be registered. Even children."_

_"... Do yer damn test, but know this... any harm upon 'er, an' I'll lay the worst o' curses upon yer Dispatch. One tha'll hit ya when ya least expect it..."_

_"... Do yer damn test, but know this... any harm upon 'er, an' I'll lay the worst o' curses upon yer Dispatch. One tha'll hit ya when ya least expect it..."_

_The scene dissolved and reformed, showing Angela shaking and crying as she huddled in a corner of a small interrogation room. Her white dress soaked in blood, stumps that were once her wings crudely wrapped in bandages already soaked through with blood. The man had left after chopping them off with his scythe and taking them with him before any of the local reapers showed back up._

_On the table lay their copy of the finished paperwork, and the confirmation that she was who they had thought._

_There was a heavy bang on the door, angry voices yelling from outside. The little girl curled up tighter in a ball on her side, laying in the pool of blood. A louder sob shaking from her._

_There was deafening crash, the door bursting off its hinges as the Timberdale Reapers swarmed in, armed with their scythes; the stopped short at the sight of the little girl. Some paled, some enraged, and Simon looked ready to cry. _

_"You... YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" James screamed, turning to go after the Reapers responsible for the damage, Kevin, Logan and Allan in tow. _

_Bruno watched them, a dangerous fire burning in his eyes. Iain, however, had wasted no time in running to his little girl's side, gathering her into his arms. "Baby..." he gasped hoarsely._

_"D-D-Daddy…" she choked, keeping her head down, her stained white hair covering her face as she shook in his arms, "Daddy—i-it h-hur-rts…"_

_"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, baby..." Iain shook, out anger and sorrow for his daughter's pain. Touching her back, he concentrated his magic, healing her wounds a smidge - he couldn't do much, not with scythe wounds. Standing, he started towards the door the others had left through, a deadly aura emitting from him._

_The little girl clung to him, shaking and crying. Again, the scene dissolved and another started. The girl, looking pale from blood-loss, cleaned up, and her wings still bandaged, sat in her room, tears still in her eyes. It had been a few days and she had healed up a it, but it still hurt—a lot._

_It was night, well past midnight. The door opened with a creak, the little boy from before slipping inside. "Angela?"_

_She sniffed and looked over at him, "…You should be in bed…"_

_"I can't sweep... I worry about you..." The seven year old crawled up onto the girl's bed, looking at her ruined wings. "Meanies... why must they be so cruel?" he whispered. "They hurt poor James too..."_

_"H-he said he had too…b-because they weren't natural…H-he said angels might come to take me away if I kept them…" She leaned over, resting her cheek on his shoulder._

_"Bull! They jus' dun like you cause yer more special than them! An' pwetty!"_

_She shook her head, "If I was that then my real daddy would still want me…"_

_"Then yer real Daddy is a meanie too, if he can't accept you as his baby!" Calium huffed. "Daddy is our real Daddy, not the one we were born to... my mommy and daddy didn't wan' me either..."_

_She slipped her arms around him, "…Calium…" she looked up at him, "Sleepy with me again tonight?"_

_He nodded. "Of course! And I think Daddy's gonna join us after he finishes wif paperwork..."_

_She nodded and pulled the blankets up and over them, laying down on her stomach so she wouldn't hurt her wings more._

_Calium wrapped and arm over her, careful of her injuries, holding her close. The two eventually fell asleep, the door opening to reveal Iain in a nightgown, walking over to the bed before climbing in, his arms holding the two children close._

_Angela whimpered and curled into him._

_The scene faded away, to one last moment. It was dark, almost eerie. Not that happy feeling that had lingered around the memories before - this was icier, almost cold. A wave of sorrow and depression befalling the Dispatch as coughs echoed up and down the halls, the Reapers moaning and whimpering, as if in pain._

_That same little girl looked a few years older, shuffling down the halls, coughs plaguing her breaths—just like everyone she passed. Hacking, she slipped into Iain's office and crawled into his lap. The town was gone—souls collected. But they were reaching out to other dispatches for help—for themselves._

_Iain rubbed her back, leaning back in his chair with a curse. They had sent out pleas for help to Dispatches all over Europe, and not one had responded - all aside from Main Branch, which immediately refuse to aid them in this dire time of need. Ever since the incident with Angela's wings, their connections with Head Office had been cut off, along with any other connections to other branches in the country. Iain, in his rage and fury, had uttered a curse laid upon the London Dispatch, the same one he had threatened when they had first come for his baby girl. _

_It ended up only resulting a fire that ended up burning down the Council Hall, to the man's disappointment - his magic was still healing from fighting off other officers hours earlier. It was enough to enrage the Council, but Bruno came to Iain's rescue, stating coolly that "they paid the price for cruelty". Iain wish Bruno had not saved him, for then he would possible have been spared this misery._

_"…Are we going t' die?" her sweet voice asked as her arms hugged his middle. "My rose won't show me the way to safety…that means it's hopeless…right?"_

_"No... No, we're... Everythin' is gonna be-" He broke off coughing. "Everythin' is gonna be alrigh-" He broke off as an inhuman screech sounded outside the dispatch, a huge shadow flying over the building; Iain clutched Angela closer, even as Calium came hobbling weakly into the room, adding himself to the hug. _

_"U-Uncle S-Simon threw up again..." he whimpered._

_"…Hopeless…" she whispered. It was all too clear they were all dying…just like the human townsfolk._

_"Shhhh" Iain rubbed her back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Daddy'll protect ya both..."_

-x-

But it was not to be. The memories swirled once more and it showed the little girl; dead. And then the memories flickered to an end, leaving Briella gasping. They weren't attacked by demons; they were the monsters that were thought to have whipped them out—they had become something else. And they were still haunting the old dispatch!

The girl shrieked, struggling to climb up a ledge of the building. Yet as she slipped, another claw-like hand reached out, small like hers, lifting her up.

Briella watched in horror. "Kai…I have to warn Kai!" Gripping her weapon, she took off to try and find him. Maybe she could somehow lower herself down where he had fallen?

There was a bang, the sound of running; above her, on an upper walkway, she could see the girl and what once was the little boy, toddling across the bridge. Then, they paused, staring back at something; footsteps thudded, as a tall hunched figure with long messy red hair came lumbering up to them, sporting a familiar kilt. Then it paused, all three turning to stare down at Briella; the elder seemed to tilt his head, while the children merely blinked at her.

Briella swallowed around a lump in her throat and she slowly moved side-ways back towards the door leading to the basement.

Silence greeted her.

She reached for the doorknob and yanked it open, slipping in and slamming the old door shut. She then, stupidly, ran down the steps, a few breaking under her weight sending her sliding down into the darkness.

-x-

Kai panted, dragging himself down yet another cavern, trying to put as much distance between the zombie and himself. It seemed to still be able to portal, and more than once he had run into it, blocking his path. Yet, it seemed to react only when he used a candy bar, must like a dog with a bone. Just as he rounded the corner, the undead man appeared right in front of him.

The boy reached into his pocket—only one candy bar left. Only one. This was his last chance to get away… he looked tearfully up at the—thing and waited until he knew he had it's attention before throwing the candy as far as he could.

But instead of chasing after it, the beast ignored it, staring down at him with haunting white eyes. It leaned forward, sniffing the teenager.

He gasped, stumbling back, crying out as he forgot to hop on his good leg, collapsing in pain from his broken leg. "I-I just want to g-go home…"

The man approached him, emitting a small moan. It collapsed to its knees beside the boy, watching him. "Frrrrrriii...ennnnddd..."

Kai whimpered, looking up at the man.

"—la! …Kai! Briella! Babies, where are you?" Ronald's distant voice found it's way to the boy's ears, "Please! Kai! Bri!"

"M-Mama? Mama!" Kai called out.

The zombie Reaper glanced up, making a noise of curiosity before resuming his attention to the boy, butting his head against his shoulder with a happy noise.

Kai made a startled cry, and footsteps sped up, "Kai! Oh Baby—Get away from my baby boy!" Ron said, raising William's spare scythe. His own was too large and he feared it may hurt Kai if he summoned it.

The undead Reaper took one glance at Ronald and yelped, gathering the boy into his arm, assuming the other blond was trying to hurt his new friend.

Kai screamed, and Ronald hissed, extending the scythe into the creature's shoulder, using it to hold him in place as he slipped his arm around Kai, pulling him back and to his chest. The boy hugged him tight.

"M-mommy…mommy, I'm sorry! I-I should have—bu-but…"

"Shhh, shhh…it's okay, baby, it's okay, I'm here…"

The zombie screeched, withering against the scythe, making odd whining noises. Then, it vanished, footsteps approaching down the hall moments later as it reappeared, trying to use the candy bar as a peace offering.

Ronald took a step back, hoisting his son into a better hold, watching the man cautiously, "Where's your sister?" he asked Kai.

"I-I don't know…"

"You're getting too big to be carried… hold on, use me as a crutch, we'll move faster."

The undead Reaper poked Kai's arm gently, holding out the candy bar with a croon.

Kai hesitated and slowly reached out for it.

The zombie dropped it into his hand, making yet another happy noise. Kai thanked him awkwardly.

Ron watched the exchange, "Lets get back to your father and help find Briella…This one seems nice enough, but I ran into a few violent ones on my way here."

Kai nodded, whimpering even as the zombie butted his head against the boy's hand again. "W-What are they, Mama...?" A series of roars sounded down the hallway, from the direction in which Ronald came. The zombie with them perked up, making an odd growling noises towards the sound.

Ronald shook his head, "It doesn't matter—we're going home." He tightened his hold around Kai and helped him back towards where he had entered, readying the scythe as they moved.

-x-

William cursed as he ran down the tunnel towards where he heard his daughter's screams, one of the undead hot on his tail.

Briella screamed again, having found herself cornered by two monsters, the bite in her shoulder throbbing, "Don't touch me! Get back!" She snapped, holding out the scythe, "Back!"

William rounded the corner, spotting his daughter being attacked by the monsters. "Briella!" he shouted, extending his scythe, hitting the first zombie in the shoulder and the second through the side; both fell.

"Daddy!" The girl jumped over the creatures and ran to him, hugging him, "Daddy, I'm sorry! I messed up—and Kai…Kai f-fell and I can't f-find him…"

William took her into his arms, holding her tightly, rubbing small circles into her back. "Baby... Oh, Briella. Don't you ever, ever do something like this again! We were so worried about you-" He paused as a roar sounded behind him and cursed, having forgotten about the last creature. Yanking his scythe free, he jumped aside just in time for the zombie to face plant into the dirt; the other two groaned, as if in irritation at their comrade.

"William! Kai's leg is broken." Ron called, spotting him and entering the room through a large hole in the wall, Kai with him. "Scythe, how many of these things are there?" he asked, looking at the three creatures.

The blond looked at his daughter; "Bri—baby girl…"

"I'd say about four-"

"Nine" Briella said hoarsely. "T-There's three more up t-top... an adult an' two c-children... Mama, one l-looks like G-Great Grandpa..."

William paled suddenly, spotting the blond zombie hovering around his husband. "Ron... Behind you—"

Ron turned and looked, "I don't think this one is much harm…seems to follow Kai around like a puppy…even after I stabbed it to get it away from our baby…" he looked at Will, "Lets hurry to leave—we'll talk later once we are safe."

"Agreed" William nodded, carrying Briella in his arms; he looked worriedly at her worsening condition. "Baby?"

"The l-little dead girl bit me…" she whimpered, feeling dizzier, "Daddy I don't think—I gotta barf!" she gasped before turning and heaving onto the floor.

"Briella!" Kai wailed, staring wide eyed at his sister. "Wait... what little girl?" He glanced at the zombie beside them, the pieces slowly coming together in his mind. "W-Wait... You can't mean..."

"…I saw her records…these things are the Timberdale Reaper Dispatch members…the illness killed them and turned them into these zombies…" she whimpered.

"So... That means..." He glanced down at the zombie. "You are..." The zombie made a soft moan, tilting his head at the boy.

"We can talk later—need to get you two out and to the infirmary." Ron said, as he and Will guided them up and out of the old decrepit building. "And once we get there—you two are so grounded!"

Kai frowned slightly. "...Something's not right..."

"About what?" Briella moaned.

"You said the illness killed them... but that doesn't explain the zombie bit... How did they come back? There was something about a monster, too..." As he spoke, the air suddenly got colder. A loud shriek sounded through the air, something hovering high above the trees.

"…Run—Run!" Ron shouted, heaving Kai onto his back so he could carry him. "We just need to get far enough out to be able to summon a portal!"

The creature screamed, the sky lighting up in an aurora of bright green, a cackle sounding out. Kai yelped as something snapped to the side, and caught sight of the zombies charging through the trees. "MAMA!"

"Hold on!" Ron shouted, speeding up, "And hope I don't trip! Will?" he glanced at his husband and Daughter.

"I'm trying! I can't seem to form a portal in these woods!" the man yelled back, almost falling as something huge landed far off in the direction they were heading.

"Keep trying! We can't loose them—Richard can't loose us or them! This way! Maybe we can move around!"

William nodded, changing directions with his husband as something thundered after them.

Briella whimpered, "Papa…I'm dizzy…"

"Shhhh... We're almost there, sweetie... Almost there..." William soothed, as the managed to reach the fence.

"You first, Kai—then Bri. Daddy and I will follow." Ron said as the gap in the fence was only big enough for one.

Kai nodded and dragged himself through the gap. It took some painful wiggling, but he finally got his broken leg through.

"Bri, now you." Ron said, ushering her through as he and Will kept watch.

William was helping Ronald through when he heard the eerie shriek far off in the distance; cursing, he hurried to help his husband through.

Ronald's belt got caught on the fence, "Shit! Will—just cut my belt for me—it's faster, and I'm not leaving you in there longer than needed!"

William cursed, using his scythe to cut his husband free, lifting him into his arms before climbing through the gap.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ron stood up and began opening a portal as soon as he was through to the other side.

Kai shivered, holding himself as he glanced back at the wall, hearing the moans and groans of the zombies and the monster within Timberdale.

"It's open, Come on." Ronald helped Kai back to his feet and waited for William to get Briella before hurrying through to safety outside the realm hospital.

The moment they were safe, Kai took the opportunity to burst into tears, clinging to his mother in a traumatized state.

"Shh, it's okay, baby-boy…it's okay…" Ron soothed.

"…Never been happier to be grounded…" Briella moaned, her face white as they rushed into the Hospital and got the attention of the medical staff.

"Good, because you are going to be so for a long—long tome after this…but lectures later once your bite is seen to and Kai's leg is casted."

Kai merely hiccupped, shaking like a leaf. Then he fell silent for a moment, stomach making a very unpleasant sound as he vomited, sick from the experience.

The twins were taken from their parents and Ronald sighed, flopping back into a waiting room chair; his body shaking as the adrenalin calmed. He burying his face in his trembling hands, "Oh Rhea…we almost lost them tonight…"

William shifted in his seat, pulling the blond into his arms, rubbing his shoulders soothingly. "Shhhh... It's alright, mein liebe... They are safe now, that's all that matters-"

There was a scream from down the hall, the nurse crying out. "WHAT IS THAT THING?"

Ronald jumped up, running towards the scream, sliding to a stop when he saw the zombie that he had found with Kai. He sighed, "This is one thing that follows him home that he can not keep…" he muttered.

The zombie scampered away from the nurse, huddling beside Kai's bed. It glanced over at the boy, it's appearance more eerie looking in the light of the room - clearly the man had died of illness or starvation down in the mines.

Kai, his leg being set and wrapped, looked down at him with wide eyes as security reapers rushed into the room.

Hours later, the sun casting morning rays across London, the family left together, tired and looking forward to sleep.

"Daddy…how much trouble are we in?" Briella asked as they walked home, slowly as Kai was using crutches.

"A lot. You can't even begin to imagine how long you are grounded for" the man replied, guiding his daughter home. Kai was silent, having not said a word since they first left Timberdale.

"Kai…baby are you alright?" Ronald asked, rubbing his back.

"Kai…I'm sorry…" Briella frowned.

"... What did they do with him?"

"Who?" Briella's frown deepened.

"Simon..."

Ronald shook his head, "I'm not sure…but I would guess they took him to the labs to find out…what he is, how he got that way and such…I'm sure William could find out easily with a few phone calls…did you name it?"

"No... That was his name, from when he was a Reaper... Simon Bellerose."

"…How did you know that?" Ronald asked.

"We found a picture and list of everyone there…" Briella said pulling the picture from his pocket and holding it up.

"See?" Kai pointed towards the man, noticing the sheets tucked under his arm. "... He was into music...?"

"…He catapulted himself from a tree to teach the little girl—Angela—how to fly…" Briella muttered.

"Really?" Kai looked at her in disbelief. "Bri, no one is that stupid-"

"He was! He was 'Stupid Uncle Simon'. That's what she called him! She had angel wings…before some London reaper came and chopped them off her…"

"Wait, what?!"

"Just what I said, Kai! I saw it." She said as they got into a cab that William hailed.

Kai looked remotely disturbed, as did his father, the boy scooting to cuddle against William with a whimper. "Daddy... I don't feel so well..."

"Shhhh..." William ran his fingers through his son's hair. "Just relax, Kai... We will be home soon..."

"I'm scared!" Kai cried out suddenly, tears welling in his eyes. "I feel... feel awful... a-and I k-keep seeing the n-nightmares-! I-I couldn't... couldn't fight-!"

"Kai-bug…" Ronald twisted in his seat and cupped the boy's face, "It's alright—you and Briella are safe now, and that's all that matters. And maybe you couldn't fight…but you found a way to survive. I'm proud of you."

Kai merely cried, nuzzling into his mother's hand, all the while clinging to his father. "I-I also... I'm scared for h-him... I don't know why, but... H-He called me his friend...Why?"

"I don't know…We'll find out for you, okay?" Ronald kissed the boy's forehead before pulling back to hug Briella, "But that doesn't mean you are getting out of being grounded for a very long time."

"…Can we sleep with you when we get back? Like when we were little?" Briella mumbled.

"Yes" William answered with a nod, wrapping an arm around his son. "Your grandparents should be home now too - they had an all-nighter reap last night."

Before long, the cab pulled up to the curb outside their home, William paid the driver, and the couple helped their two oldest children inside. After explaining things to Alan and Eric (Ronald's parent's), the four collapsed onto William and Ronald's bed, snuggling close as they drifted off to sleep.


End file.
